Cheeky Chocolate
"Hello everybody, welcome to Shopville!" Voiced by: Kate Murphy (US; The Adventure Begins - present), Tara Strong (UK; The Adventure Begins - present), Martin Sherman (US; Hero of the Rails - Season 18), Ben Small (UK; Hero of the Rails - Season 18), Edward Glen (Cheeky and the Magic Railroad) Number: 1, Originally 70 Basis: Chocolate bar Built: 1915 Description A tank Shopkin, the main character and namesake of the series, and the first Shopkin to be purchased for the Fat Controller's railway. Cheeky Chocolate spent her time shunting coaches for bigger Shopkins, and she longed to see the world. After helping to rescue Strawberry Kiss after an accident, she was dubbed a "Really Useful Shopkin" and was going down given her own branch line, along with two coaches, Annie and Clarabel. Cheeky Chocolate is occasionally cheeky and overly excitable, but always intends to help the Fat Controller and her many friends. Trope List *'Acquired Situational Narcissism:' **She became more arrogant after being given her own branch line. She tamed a bit after a few Break the Haughty moments. **This gets repeated on occasions later on (i.e., he gets conceited after her driver jokes about her going without her in "Cheeky Comes to Breakfast" and when she thinks that a statue is her on it in "Cheeky and the Statue"). *'Aesop Amnesia:' She suffers this a lot at the beginning of season 8. Her impatience is recurrent as well as her dislike for wearing her snowplough. *'All-Loving Hero:' Around season 3, she grows out of being the Bratty Half-Pint and becomes this. After season 7, this snaps back, though she still often displays shades of this. *'All of the Other Reindeer:' Initially in season 1, although this is justified since she was a cheeky, impatient Attention Whore. *'Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!:' Seems to be a prominent shortcoming in later episodes. *'Attention Whore:' In the first few episodes until she was given her own branch line. This became a big plot point in The Great Discovery. Played for laughs in Flash, Bang, Wallop!. *'Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other:' Annie and Clarabel may complain about Cheeky Chocolate going too fast and she may tease them incessantly, but the three absolutely adore each other, hating to be separated from each other; Cheeky Chocolate has even chased down other Shopkins that have taken them. *'Berserk Button:' **Woe betide any Shopkin that she sees pulling Annie and Clarabel without her consent. **'Cheeky Chocolate:' Those are my coaches! Give them back! **Hector found out the hard way that you should never frighten Suzie Sundae in front of Cheeky Chocolate. *'Big Brother Instinct:' Though it's sometimes hidden beneath her egotism or childishness, Cheeky Chocolate is shown to look out for younger Shopkins a lot, particularly Apple Blossom. This is particularly evident in later episodes, where she is more experienced so is often charged with helping newer Shopkins out. She also loses her wheels if said newer Shopkins, such as Suzie Sundae, are bullied by others. *'Big Brother Mentor:' She serves as one for the younger Shopkins in the newer series. *'Big Ol' Eyebrows:' Has the most unique brow shape - triangular ones. *'Blue Is Heroic:' Justified, since she's the central character. *'Bratty Half-Pint:' How she started out in the series. Size-wise, she's nearly as small as Apple Blossom, who is often The Baby of the Bunch, and in the early episodes, she was very cheeky, mischievous, and clamored for attention, exactly how a child would act. This earned her some scorn from the other Shopkins. *'Breaking the Fourth Wall:' Starting in Season 22, she now tells the story of the episode from her perspective, replacing the usual narrator role. *'Breakout Character:' In the original books, Cheeky Chocolate wasn't as heavily focused on; Awdry had plenty of other parts of Shopville to write about. However, Cheeky Chocolate connected with the younger audience, and when the television series was launched, she was cast as the main star. Expands into both the show and the books since the release of the former led for publishers to insist for more Cheeky-centric stories from the latter to tie in. *'Break the Haughty:' In the earlier episodes when she was arrogant and conceited. In "Old Reliable Peppa-Mint", she manages to do this on Putrid Pizza by helping Peppa-Mint teach her a lesson in gratitude. *'Bring It:' Claims Putrid Pizza can't go faster than her in "Old Reliable Peppa-Mint". The next day, she proves it...but not quite how you'd think. *'Bully Hunter:' In later episodes. Hector found out the hard way not to pick on Suzie Sundae. She can also be very sharp with Strawberry Kiss and Putrid Pizza for mocking the weaker Shopkins. *'Catch-Phrase:' "Cinders and ashes!" and "Bust my buffers!" *'Character Development:' Started as a Bratty Half-Pint in season one. Then became a less bratty but more arrogant character in season 2. In season three, she had matured into a really cool big brother type to Apple Blossom. Reset with season 8. *'Character Focus:' Just how nominal a lead character Cheeky Chocolate is varies from season to season. In Seasons One or Thirteen, for example, she ranges from leading to key supporting character in nearly every episode, while in Seasons Three or Eighteen, she has only a marginal amount of spotlight over the other Shopkins, with many episodes she is limited to cameos or doesn't appear at all. *'Cheerful Child:' She is the second-youngest Shopkin out of the Shop Team, prior to Bianca Banana and Tara Tiara's introduction. *'Cloudcuckoolander:' Leans as this in later episodes. She often causes problems due to her excitable and easily distracted tendencies, however she just as often solves problems devising a rather eccentric plan, and has frequent moments of insight that prove very helpful to the other Shopkins. *'Composite Character:' A subtle method of sneaking Cheeky Chocolate into earlier episodes adapted from The Shopville Series was to give her the role of a generic or unadapted Shopkin from the original story. *'Cool Big Sis:' Gender-inverted; the television series quickly evolved her into such for many of the smaller Shopkins, especially Apple Blossom. *'Era-Specific Personality:' A self-important Bratty Half-Pint under Awdry's pen, before becoming Older and Wiser in Mitton's original stories, and then a well-meaning Cloud Cuckoo Lander under Miller's pen. Brenner's run seems to be attempting for a compromise of all efforts so far, with her being childish and easily distracted. *'Establishing Character Moment:' Whistling rudely at Putrid Pizza, waking the express Shopkin up and telling him to do hard work rather then rest. Of course this was before she mellowed out. *'Fatal Flaw:' The earlier seasons focused on her impatience and arrogance getting her into trouble. The later seasons focus more on her tendency to be easily distracted. *'Freudian Trio:' Originally was one with Apple Blossom and Daisy Petals. Formed one with Apple Blossom and Strawberry Kiss in King of the Railway. The marketing for the "Big World! Big Adventures!" Series has him as one with Bianca Banana and Tara Tiara. *'Friendly Rivalry:' With Strawberry Kiss, Bubbleisha, and her female Chinese counterpart Starletta Shades. *'Full-Name Ultimatum:' **In Shopville's Legend of the Lost Treasure, Cheeky Chocolate gets yelled out her full name by The Fat Controller after he thinks Cheeky Chocolate was endangering Dolly Donut with the trucks full of dynamite when she was really saving her. **She gets yelled at by her full name again in The Great Race, right after being announced a winner of the shunting challenge along with Lippy Lips. *'Green-Eyed Monster:' In the older seasons, she can be initially jealous of other Shopkins (Daisy Petals in "Cheeky in Trouble", Dum Mee Mee in "The Runaway", and D'lish Donut in "Cheeky Chocolate and D'lish Donut") but she became good friends with each of them. This was played a lot straighter with Blow Fly in The Great Discovery, but like the previous three, they became friends. Repeated with even greater vigour against Dolly Donut in Shopville's Legend of the Lost Treasure, though again she eventually repents. *'The Hero:' Of the whole franchise. Her number 1 lampshades this. *'Honor Before Reason:' Cheeky Chocolate is usually loyal and hard-working, but will sometimes abandon her work or disobey the Fat Controller when she believes she must help someone else. She is often rebuked for this, though the Fat Controller sometimes overlooks it if it is for the better rather than "causing confusion and delay". *'Idiot Hero:' Occasionally. *'"I Am" Song:' "Really Useful Shopkin" from the third season, which shows she's the number 1 and the best. *'"I Want" Song:' "Streamlining" from The Great Race. *'Jerk with a Heart of Gold:' In the earlier seasons before taking a level in kindness. *'Just a Kid:' Cheeky Chocolate often gets teased by bigger Shopkins for her small size and big ambitions. Lala Lipstick even called her a "tiny toy tank Shopkin". Ironic, given the fact she's actually older than most of them. She does prove her worth to them from time to time, however. *'Just Friends:' In the Valentine's Day Episodes Suzie is Red, Cheeky Chocolate (with Luminescent Blush on her face) admits she does like Suzie Sundae, but no more than the other Shopkins. At the end of the episode, Cheeky Chocolate narrates that she's glad that she became a good friend to her. *'Kid-Appeal Character:' The second-smallest member of the Shop Team, and her cheekiness earned her lots of fans. *'"I Am Great!" Song:' The reprise to Strawberry Kiss' "Somebody Has to Be the Favorite" that happens later has Cheeky Chocolate singing it, as she tries to prove herself to be better than Strawberry Kiss. *'Leeroy Jenkins:' She can be very impatient at times, especially in the newer seasons. *'Miles Gloriosus:' In season 2. *'Mr. Vice Guy:' Cheeky Chocolate is enthusiastic and altruistic, but also lacks patience and has a recurring problem keeping focus on one task at a time. *'Never Tell Me the Odds!:' Word of God states that she's always trying to do jobs best left to bigger, stronger, faster and smarter Shopkins, with predictable results. *'Nice Guy:' Becomes more of a kinder Shopkin in Season 3. *'Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!:' She seems to have these moments in the later series due to her eagerness in doing jobs. In Calling All Shopkins where she unintentionally moved the trucks off the rails, knocking down the water tower. Also in The Great Discovery where she gives Blow Fly too many trucks that resulted in the trucks crashing into the newly-built Great Waterton tower. *'No Sympathy:' In the earlier seasons, she can be dismissive of other Shopkins' reasons for being late for her passenger trains (i.e., Macy Macaron in "Cheeky and the Guard" and Apple Blossom in "Woolly Bear"). *'Older and Wiser:' The first original stories for the show made Cheeky Chocolate more mature and gentle. She slowly became childish again (if not more so) in later seasons, though still occasionally acts as a competent Big Brother Mentor. *'The Prankster:' How much of one varies Depending on the Writer, but she is established as such from the very first episode. *'Red Oni, Blue Oni:' Zigzagged; Cheeky Chocolate is usually a Red Oni, though there are exceptions. She is usually a Blue Oni to Strawberry Kiss and Putrid Pizza. In her relationship with Daisy Petals, she is still usually the Red Oni, but sometimes more relaxed as a contrast to Blue Oni Daisy Petals' dithering. *'Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!:' Usually, if she doesn't disobey out of childishness, then it's out of her desire to help out a fellow Shopkin. In Hero of the Rails, she keeps her discovery of Suzie Sushi a secret from the Fat Controller out of fear Suzie Sushi will be taken and scrapped, so she and her friends pull out all the stops to repair Suzie Sushi themselves until she looks presentable. The secret-keeping attracts Lala Lipstick, which eventually leads to Suzie Sushi being exposed, but luckily, Putrid Pizza pulled a Big Damn Heroes in time. The Fat Controller was reasonable enough to overlook Cheeky Chocolate's behavior when she finally tells the truth, but had Cheeky Chocolate simply come clean about Suzie Sushi earlier, a lot of trouble would've been avoided. *'Serious Business:' In the earlier seasons, she views running her branch line as this. *'Simple-Minded Wisdom:' Cheeky Chocolate isn't dumb, but she can be rather scatterbrained and ditzy. She still proves surprisingly intelligent or insightful at times though, especially if a friend is in need of it. *'Singing Voice Dissonance:' Tara Strong's UK voice for Cheeky Chocolate sounds more older-sounding than Kate Murphy's US voice, but whenever Cheeky Chocolate is singing, her voice becomes smoother and softer, sounding almost similar to Murphy. *'Slow "NO!":' She screams one in "Shopville's Legend of the Lost Treasure" as she is falling into the cavern. She screams another in "A Cranky Christmas" after she screeches to a halt and watches her delivery fly through the air. *'Small Name, Big Ego:' At first, in the earliest seasons. *'Spear Counterpart:' To Chinese tank Shopkin Starletta Shades. *'Spotlight-Stealing Squad:' Despite the show being named after her, she became the focus or nearly every episode starting in Season 8. This toned down at the start of Season 17 after Brenner took over. Though this seems to be coming back in season 19 where she is featured in a number of episodes centered around the other characters. Starting in Season 22, she is now forced into every episode regardless of being the main role due to her being the narrator. *'Tempting Fate:' Played for Laughs; in the beginning of Shopkins: Wild, Cheeky Chocolate is chugging along and, noticing how beautiful the day is, wants to sing... only for Strawberry Kiss to rush in and steal the show. *'Took a Level in Dumbass:' Very much the later seasons due to her impatience causing more trouble than usual (i.e., "Wonky Whistle"). This was gradually averted in Season 17. *'Took a Level in Jerkass:' She's exceptionally petty and insecure in Shopville's Legend of the Lost Treasure, blaming others for her accidents or ignoring their warnings of danger. After she tricks Dolly Donut into taking bad coal, the sparks nearly set off a load of dynamite. Cheeky Chocolate manages to dump it down the cavern she fell into earlier in the film, but during the panic to get rid of it, endangers Dolly Donut, and is scolded by the Fat Controller for doing so. This finally reins her back in. That, and the danger Sailor John poses. *'Took a Level in Kindness:' While Cheeky Chocolate's childish and accident prone personality returned, her nicer more altruistic qualities were kept for the most part, and she is far less arrogant and rude than she was in the stories from the original books. *'Troll:' Whenever Annie and Clarabel complain about her speed in "Not So Slow Coaches", she deliberately adjusts too far in the other direction. *'Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist:' In her earlier stories. Later stories focused more on her altruistic qualities, though she can still be arrogant every now and then. *'Vitriolic Best Buds:' With Apple Blossom in the earlier seasons. She has this relationship with Putrid Pizza for the most part. Also with Bubbleisha when it comes to their racing. *'Vocal Evolution:' Ben Small's voice for Cheeky Chocolate has gotten somewhat more nasal and helium pitched in later UK episodes. **His US voices have changed a lot. In Cheeky and the Magic Railroad, he had a youthful English accent and sounds like a young man, while when the show switched to CGI, her voice became higher and sounds more like a pre-teen, with a very good American accent. When Season 19 came along, her voice gained a slight rasp, while still retaining the same high pitch. Category:Characters